Device for supporting tires in



pt! 1942- J. H. ZIMMERMAN Re. 22,192

DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING TIRES IN VUII-ICANIZERS Original Filed Aug. 18,.1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z/hmer/rmn Snow;

Sept. 29, 1942.

J. H. ZIMMERMAN DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING TIRES IN VULCANIZERS OriginalFiled Aug. 18, 193'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jar 7n H Zimmerman" Reissued Sept.29, 1942 DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING TIRES IN VULCANIZERS John H. Zimmerman,Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, as Signor to Wingfoot Corporation, Wilmington,Del., a corporation of Delaware Original No. 2,254,926, dated September2, 1941,

Serial No. 159,719, August 18, 1937.

Application for reissue February 21, 1942, Serial No.

7 Claims.

This invention relates to vulcanizing apparatus and it refers moreparticularly to means for facilitating removal of finished articles frommolds in which they have been vulcanized.

This invention is of especial utility in tire-vulcanizing molds fromwhich, due to adhesion, considerable power and labor are ordinarilyrequired for removal of the tires. However, the invention is not limitedto use with tire molds and can be used with molds for other articles asindicated in the preceding paragraph. Heretofore it has been commonpractice to pry the tires from the lower half of the mold, this being alaborious and time-consuming operation sometimes resulting in injury tothe operator.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple, eflicientand inexpensive means for automatically assisting in the removal oftires from vulcanizing molds which will eliminate the usual excessivelabor and will save time, and with more safety to the operator.

This invention is applicable to individual steam-jacketed vulcanizers ormay be applied to separable molds of the pot-heater type, or other moldshaving cavities in their meeting faces.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein one form has beenshown merely by way of illustration, and in which Fig. 1 is a sideelevation of a vulcanizer in opened condition and showing the novelattachment in active position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the device in inactiveposition;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the device in activeposition with the tire in position about to drop from upper half of moldonto the arm;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing the device in cocked position;

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective view of the swinging arm per se.

The invention is shown in the drawings as applied to one form ofsteam-jacketed vulcanizer of the individual type which consists of abase In supporting a lower mold section I I having an annular cavity l2forming the lower half of the mold for the tire l3. Disposed above thelower mold section II is an upper mold section l4 having cut in thelower face an annular cavity l5 adapted to meet the cavitied face of themold section II and to confine a tire therebetween when the mold isclosed. The lower section I l of this particular vulcanizer remainsstationary, but the upper section I4 is capable of moving vertically fora certain distance and then obliquely to provide enough space betweenthe two members for advantageously loading and unloading the vulcanizer.The movement of the upper mold section I4 is effected by a pair oftoggle arms I! and I8 through a screw H! which, in turn, is actuated bya motor Isa.

The direction of travel of the member I4 is governed by enagagernent oflugs (not shown) on either side of the member I4, with guide slots 20and 2| in stationary plates 22 on either side of the vulcanizer.

The vulcanizer thus far described is merely one of several commerciallyavailable forms with which the invention may be used but to which theinvention is not limited.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4, it will be seen that on the front side of thebase I!) a bearing bracket 25 is secured by cap screws 25, said bracket25 being bored to receive a swinging arm indicated generally by thenumeral 21., The body of the bearing bracket 25 is cylindrical and isprovided on its upper surface with a notch 28 in which is welded aradial key 29. The lower end of the bearing bracket 25 is counterboredat 33 to receive a compression spring 3|. The swinging arm 21 has avertical portion 32 and a horizontal portion 33, said vertical portioncarrying a collar 34 on the under side of which are halfround radialgrooves 35 and 3B. The lower surface of the collar 34 and the uppersurface of the bearing bracket are held in spring-pressed relationthrough the action of the spring 3|, which is supported by a washer 31and cotter pin 38. Thus, as the swinging arm is manipulated to bringeither of the grooves 35 and 33 into register with the radial key 29,the spring will tend to maintain such registration, keeping the arm ineither active or inactive position.

Clamped or otherwise secured to the lower end of the vertical armportion 32 is an extension 39 having in its outer end a hole 40 intowhich is hooked one end of a coiled tension spring 4!, the other end ofwhich is hooked into another bracket 42 attached to the base 10 by thecap screws 43, said spring 4| is for the purpose of actuating theswinging arm 21 automatically when the vulcanizer is opened, as will bemore fully described later. Referring to Fig. 4,

it will be noted that the horizontal or swinging portion 33 of the arm21 is curved. This is for the purpose of conserving space, for it willbe apparent that if this portion of the arm were straight (as it may beif desired), the bearing bracket 25 would have to be set out fartherfrom the vulcanizer base ID to allow the end of the arm to contact theouter circular edge of the upper mold section h-lv when the mold isclosed. Similarly, when in inactive position, if straight, the arm wouldextend out from the vulcanizer farther than in the illustratedembodiment. It will also be noted that the curved member 33 has itsupper surface beveled at its end for the purpose of allowing the armmore easily to enter the space between the mold sections and under thetire as the vulcanizeropens. The end of the arm 33 is large enough sothat it will, not' be retarded but will permit the irregulartread of thetire to slide by it.

When a tire is cured and .the vulcanizer. has opened enough to allow thearm 33 to enter the opening and contact the tire I3, the tire I3 willstick to the upper cavity of the mold and as it moves free of the lowercavity the arm, due to the'action of the spring ll, will swing in underthe tire and across the lower cavity, preventing tire from reenteringthe said cavity.

The operation is as follows:

The operator will pull the swinging arm '21 upward against thecompression of spring 3| to disengage groove 35 from the key29, thenswing the arm counter-clockwise until the groove 36 engages the key 29.This" will hold the arm out of the way of the operator as shown inbroken lines in Fig. 4 and "will permit the operator to prepare the moldcavities and place a tire in position to be cured. In preparing the moldfor loading, the operator or attendant will paint, swab or spray thefront half of the lower mold cavity l2 and the rear half of the uppermold cavity IS with a non-adhesive'solution,'such as soap or soapstone,'orother known material used for this purpose. By this method ofpainting, it will be possible for the tire to 'move freely out of thecavities at these painted points, but the upper cavity in front and thelower cavity l2 in the rear not being painted, the tire will adhere tothese areas long enough to permit the arm 33 to actand accomplish thepurpose for which it is intended. After thecavities have been painted asdescribed the tire is placed in the "mold with its usual inflatablecoreand the mold .mold member l4, due to the action of the spring .4! asshown in Figs..2 and 4.

When'the tire has been cured and the mold starts to open, thearm 33being positioned a little above the parting line of; the mold members Hand I4, due tothe tension of the spring4l,will swing clockwise as soonas the lower edge .of upper mold member M has raised above it. Thispermits the end of the arm '33to contact the tire "which naturallyadheres to theupper mold cavity and moves upward-with it. Meanwhile theend of arm 33 works its way inward, due to the action of the spring4|,and when the-tire leaves the lower cavity the arm-swings to a radialposition above and across the lower cavity and is held in this positionwhen the groove 35 interlocks with the key'23. As the uppermol'd membercontinues its upward and oblique movement,

the tire will break way from theupper cavity and fall upon the arm, inwhich position the tir is easily and quickly removed by the operator.

. of the mold sections toward and from the other portion movable intoand out of active position The particulararrangement-herein disclosed ismold section, an arm pivoted outside of said other mold section andhaving a tir supporting adjacent the corresponding cavity when the mold:sections are separated and yielding mean to swing-saidarm tomove saidtire supporting portion into active position as the mold sections areseparated.

, 2.?The combination with a tire vulcanizing press having upper andlower mold sections provided with tire receiving cavities thatcompletely enclose the tire therein, said sections being mounted to moverelatively during the opening movement of the press, of a bar, and meansto move the bar from a position' outside the outer periphery of the moldsections to a position between the mold section cavitiesand beneath thetire during the said opening movement, said means comprising an armpivoted on the press and supporting theban-an extension connected to thearm,and yielding :means'to move the extension.

' 3. The combination with a tire press comprising upper and lowermoldsections provided with tire receiving cavities that completelyenclose the tire therein, at least one of said section being movable toopen the press, of a substantially horizontal swinging rod carried bythe press and cooperating with the movable mold section to keep aportion of a tire between said rod and said movable mold section, saidrod being swingable on the press upon opening movement of the press froma position outside the outer periphery of said mold sections to aposition between the tire and said other mold section, and means forswinging the rod.

4. The combination with a tire press comprising upper and lower moldsections provided with tire receiving cavities that completely enclosethe tire therein, at least the upper section being movable to open thepress, of a substantially horizontal rod carried by the press andcooperating with the movable mold section to keep a portion of a tirebetween said rod and said upper mold section, said rod beingautomatically swingable upon opening movement of the upper moldsectionfrom a position outside the outer periphery of the mold sections to aposition between the tir and the lowermold secticngand yielding means toswing the rod.

5. The combination with a press comprising a pair of complementary moldsections provided with article receiving cavities that completelyenclose the article therein, at least one of said sections being movableto open the press, of a pivoted arm on said press carrying an articleengaging member at the free end thereof cooperating with said movablemold section to keep a portion of an article in the press betweensaidarticle engaging member and said last mentioned-moldsection, said armand member being located outside the outer periphery of the moldsections when the press is closed, and mean carried by said press forpivoting said arm and member upon opening movement of the press to'movesaidqmember to a position between said article and said other moldsection.

6. The combination with an article vulcanizing press comprising upperand lower mold sections provided with article receiving cavities thatcompletely enclose the article therein, at least one of said sectionsbeing movable to open the press, of an article engaging device carriedby said press and located outside the outer periphery of the moldsections when the press is closed, and mechanism carried by the pressand operated in timed relation to the opening of the press to move saiddevice into the space between the mold sections, whereby said device mayengage a portion of an article partially stripped from one of said moldsections so that said article will be between said device and a part ofone of said mold sections.

7 The combination with an article vulcanizing press of the typecomprising complementary mold sections, of an auxiliary article engagingdevice carried by said press and located outside the mold sections whenthe press is closed, said device being operable to enter the spacebetween the mold sections and engage a portion of an article partiallystripped from one of said mold sections so that said article will bebetween said device and a part of one of said mold sections, andmechanism carried by th pres and operated in timed relation to theopening of the press to operate said device.

JOHN H. ZIMMERMAN.

